expert post | The Art of the Article

today we have an post from one of my favorite ladies in biz: sam leader from flying solo. whether you already have a blog, would like to start one, or would like to submit articles as guest posts to other blogs, this is some awesome advice...

Writing articles and getting published is a powerful way to promote your expertise, and your little business. Here’s some advice on making your read a good one.

1. Have ideas to expand on. This beats staring at a blank screen with a blank head. Be ready to scribble down dot points when inspiration strikes. The germ of some of my best work can be traced to the back of soggy beer mats.
2. Don’t worry too much about structure at the start. This can come later. Just focus on getting it out of your head and onto the screen, or indeed the paper.
3. An alternate theme may emerge in the course of writing. Go with it. I’ve lost count of the number of unedited articles I’ve read that have a headline almost totally unrelated to the content.
4. Write the headline and intro last to overcome the above problem. What you’ve actually written will inform you of the appropriate headline and introduction. Always.
5. Use your voice. If you’re a humorous person, write with wit. It’s better to write as you talk than to try and sound clever.
6. Don’t underestimate your audience. There’s a school of thought that says you should use the simplest word available. I disagree. You should use the most fitting word. Still you should avoid plundering the Thesaurus just for the sake of it.
7. Revisit, reread, edit and proofread. While we’ve lots of tips for self-editing on Flying Solo, my main advice is to remember that subtraction is iteration, too.
8. When editing, cut from the start. A majority of the articles I’ve edited require most of their edits early on. Try to ensure your article doesn’t take too long to get going. 

As Editor of Flying Solo I’ve overseen over 1,400 articles from submission to publication and while I’m the first to admit I don’t know much, I reckon when it comes to understanding what makes a good short read, I know my potatoes.

Which brings me to my final point:

     9.  Know your potatoes.

I’d love you to share your thoughts on what makes a decent read.

Sam Leader is the Editor-in-Chief of Flying Solo, Australia's micro businesscommunity, and one of its three directors. She is also the co-author, with Robert Gerrish and Peter Crocker, of the business bestseller Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business. Sam's responsible "...for all the book's good bits."   Like most solo business owners, Sam wears a number of other hats. As Social Media Manager, she oversees Flying Solo's presence on Facebook and Twitter and she is also Mistress of Mojo, ensuring motivation stays high for everyone involved in Flying Solo.

guest post | it is time to define success on YOUR terms

today we have a fantastic guest post from sam leader of flying solo. it fits so well with the theme of the new year which is to be awesome. do what you love. kick ass. who says you have to be bigger or better or more than you already are in order to be taken seriously or have credibility? 

A majority of soloists admit they are concerned about their small business credibility. But before changing our ways to suit others, we should recognise the legitimacy of our chosen workstyle.

There’s no doubt cynical attitudes abound in the wider business community.

When you think about it, those who view soloism using a traditional work paradigm are bound to struggle with the concept. It’s easier for them to talk in patronising terms like ‘how's your little business?’ or 'Are you still just working from home?' than it is for them to appreciate our integrity, autonomy and earning potential.

I suppose they think a regular job in the Cube Farm is the way forward.

What a cheek. Why should 'their' (wider business community's) be 'our' (soloist) way?

In reality, solo businesses have not so much rewritten the work rulebook as razed it to the ground. Furthermore, there are almost as many ways of working as there are solo businesses.

For me, soloism is a lifestyle choice. My business is not a stepping stone to 'better' things, but a way of work uniquely crafted to fit and finance the way I live. As a result, work is not a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 endeavour. Instead, my weekdays are a joyous mix of family, friends and office time. Ditto my weekends, actually.

But before you worry that mine is a slacker approach which gives the solo movement a bad name, let me assure you, I can turn on the professionalism when I need to.

For example, I want to take the kids to the beach at 10am on a Wednesday. Do I divert calls to my mobile? No. I have a message that says "I will respond to your call within two hours." I am aware that clients don't want to hear seagulls and pounding surf while talking business.

And return the calls within two hours I do, without explanation or apology.

"What if it’s urgent?" you ask. This won’t happen. Because I am not a thrive-under-pressure type, I won’t take on work if deadlines are too tight. Also I don’t believe in being always available, even if it is during so-called work hours. Clients know this, i.e. their expectations are set and boundaries are in place.

Plenty of outsiders, as well as more earnest solo business types, would frown on me popping off to the beach during the day. They would despair of me working propped up in bed, in my tracky daks, sans lipstick. I can empathise with that view, particularly when so many in the solo community struggle with credibility issues.

But, I argue, does my unconventional style mean the work I do for my clients is cack-handed? Hardly. Does it make me incompetent or stupid? No.

Besides, I've tried the whole 'dress smart so you'll feel more professional' bit and ended up feeling like an alien in my own skin. It didn't work...for me.

However, I've found a work style that does it's tand I honour it. I love my work, but I also love my friends and family and recognise the time needed to keep these relationships healthy. And if I lavish time on them in the week, that's my choice. Happy Sam = happy clients.

Whether you're a serious soloist driven by money and prestige or an idler seeking the path to an easy life, surely finding what works for you has got to be central to any soloist's definition of success. 

further reading:

• be awesome. do what you love. kick ass.
• who says we have to be bigger in 2012?
• we are the soul traders

Sam Leader is the Editor of Flying Solo, Australia's micro businesscommunity, and one of its three directors. Over the last five years she has overseen the publication of over 1,300 articles from over 100 contributors. She is also the co-author, with Robert Gerrish and Peter Crocker, of the business bestseller Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business. Sam's responsible "...for all the book's good bits."   Like most solo business owners, Sam wears a number of other hats. As Social Media Manager, she oversees Flying Solo's presence on Facebook and Twitter (LinkedIn's coming soon) and she is also Mistress of Mojo, ensuring motivation stays high for everyone involved in Flying Solo.

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guest post | under the covers boss

today we have a post from our business support expert: sam leader from flying solo. if you have never visited her site, you must go have a look. heaps of useful information for anyone with start-up questions and a fantastic forum!

I’m all for positive thinking, but a nasty brush with a mystery bug got me wondering: how can I fake it til I make it if I can’t make it out of bed?

Here’s my solution to keeping healthy.

A friend told me how she ‘meditated her head off’ to get better from a cold. Well what made me healthy again was a straight physiological fix: I slept for 16 hours straight, and then felt fantastic. 

It made me appreciate that even the most mentally robust of us get hit for six on occasion and optimistic and positive as I had been leading up to my illness, I’d allowed myself to become physically run down. 

I’d underestimated the part a healthy body plays in my overall wellbeing. And I bet I’m not the only one. 

 So to keep the old bag of bones fit and well, here’s what I’m going to do:

• Get more exercise and eat more pulses and greens. Currently, I’m with the majority and ‘could do better’ on this front.

• Continue to improve ergonomics. I’ve got The Fear on this after I read “My friend is out of pocket $12,000 and three operations on her neck because of not using her laptop ergonomically.” No more laptops on beanbags for me, then.

• Give up assisting work days with “caffeine on take off, alcohol on landing” as Alain de Botton (who I have a crush on) so wonderfully described it. I doubt I’ll get further than half way.

• Take preventative steps in the form of a daily cup of tea with my feet up. Provided this doesn’t compromise point 2.

• Give in with grace. If, after all this, my body lets me down I’ll take to my bed. 

Might you join me in one or more of the above ways of keeping healthy? Make the commitment via a comment. 

Also, do you agree that a positive attitude is only part of the picture? Or perhaps you have, in fact, successfully overcome a treacherous body with the power of the mind? 

I’m going to start my health kick right now by walking to the shops to buy some lentils. And definitely not a latte!

note from karen:

i will start off the comments by adding my own....

ok now i have THE FEAR too - i am pretty sure i am breaking all the ergonomic rules as i type this on my laptop from my soffice (as i am now calling my sofa-office) with a laptop balanced on one of those nursing pillows and a 4 week old sleeping on my chest. yikes!

also - “caffeine on take off, alcohol on landing” - ummmm, that is totally how i cope! not sure i can give that up. 

but i hear you on this one sam, i know i really need to take better care of my health and my body. am i am sure i am not the only one, but i always seem to put my own well-being at the bottom of the priority list. but without me whole and healthy this entire family/household/home biz falls apart! it's way to risky. so excuse me while i go find some vegetables.....

Sam Leader is the Editor of Flying Solo, Australia's micro businesscommunity, and one of its three directors. Over the last five years she has overseen the publication of over 1,300 articles from over 100 contributors. She is also the co-author, with Robert Gerrish and Peter Crocker, of the business bestseller Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business. Sam's responsible "...for all the book's good bits."   Like most solo business owners, Sam wears a number of other hats. As Social Media Manager, she oversees Flying Solo's presence on Facebook and Twitter (LinkedIn's coming soon) and she is also Mistress of Mojo, ensuring motivation stays high for everyone involved in Flying Solo.

ask the expert | who do you think YOU are?

today we have a post from our business support expert: sam leader from flying solo. if you have never visited her site, you must go have a look. heaps of useful information for anyone with start-up questions and a fantastic forum!

A recent experience made me appreciate how important our job titles are to the outside world. This makes me cranky as.

I was filling out a residency reference for a friend recently. His feedback? “Looks great. Only under ‘occupation’ please instead of ‘Editor’ can you say ‘Director’?’

Of course I made the change. I understood his rationale – it doesn’t matter that I see myself more as an editor than a business owner, because clearly the latter has more gravitas.

Until this happened I hadn’t realised how much I hate job titles. They are limiting and easily misconstrued. They are at best a necessary evil. It’s why I dread the ‘what do you do?’ question, which I normally fumble my way through while my conversation partner longs for a refill.

Even though I have published about a dozen articles on elevator pitches, when it comes to giving one, can I manage? Can I bunnies. You know what they say about plumbers and their leaky taps. 

For your amusement, here are some of the answers I spew forth:

“I’m the editor of Flying Solo, an online community that supports micro businesses.”
This is technically correct, although far from clear. What’s an online community and why does it need an editor?

“I’m a business owner”
Ambiguous. Authoritative. Kind of like this one.

“I run my own business.”
Similarly ambiguous but not as authoritative.

“I work from home.”
Has a whiff of the telegraph pole ad.  

“I work from home part time, and have two young children.”
This whiffs of telegraph poles and bodily extractions! And even to my ears, saying ‘part time’ has connotations of a lack of dedication, which I know is patently untrue. Nonetheless, the sense remains for me.

This last descriptor is the most accurate, but one I tend not to use. Why? My observation is that although this is by far the most challenging and rewarding role for me, every non work at home parent I say this to seems to think it’s not at all challenging or rewarding. You can just see it in their expression. Sad but true.

In the absence of feeling comfortable answering the perennial question I am the master of swiftly turning into a prime interrogator, starting my barrage of questions with, you guessed it, “What do you do?”

How do you introduce yourself? What impression do you think it gives others? Do you go for the job title you know will impress over a personally preferred label?

Meantime if there are any pop psychologists reading this who want to analyse my confusion over my identity, not to mention my appalling sense of professional inadequacy, I’m all ears.

Top up, anyone?

Sam Leader is the Editor of Flying Solo, Australia's micro business community, and one of its three directors. Over the last five years she has overseen the publication of over 1,300 articles from over 100 contributors. She is also the co-author, with Robert Gerrish and Peter Crocker, of the business bestseller Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business. Sam's responsible "...for all the book's good bits."   Like most solo business owners, Sam wears a number of other hats. As Social Media Manager, she oversees Flying Solo's presence on Facebook and Twitter (LinkedIn's coming soon) and she is also Mistress of Mojo, ensuring motivation stays high for everyone involved in Flying Solo.

Do you have a question for our start-up and business support expert? Please send us an email - your question could be featured in our next 'ask the expert' post!